banana bread oatmeal for a slushy day

It’s April 11 and we’re under a winter storm warning. It was raining, then snowing, then icy, then slushy. And now it’s cold and I can hear the dripping of melting snow falling off the roof and landing on various objects outside. But the birds are chirping. Minnesota weather is so bi-polar!
I had a busy night with swim lessons and then was at the kitchen baking cookies, so I didn’t have time to make oatmeal last night.
On this unseasonably cold morning though, I had a craving for one of my favorite oatmeal recipes: banana bread oatmeal. The smell of warm banana and vanilla make the weather a bit easier to take on somehow.

Banana Bread Oatmeal:
1/2 C rolled oats
2 T quinoa
1 banana, sliced
Handful or walnuts or pecans
1/4 t vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
1 t ground flax or chia seeds optional
Splash of milk (optional, but it makes this recipe extra good)
Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and share half the banana with baby (or at least that’s how it goes at my house). Heat in the microwave for 90 seconds. This oatmeal doesn’t need to soak overnight because there are no steel cut oats or oat groats.

Something about the banana and milk and vanilla all together will make you feel so very warm and cozy!

GOOD NEWS!

Update from my first post:

I heard back from the MN Dept of Agriculture and FDA and have good great news to share.  Mama Nosh got approval to call lactation cookies, ‘lactation cookies’.  Sounds small, but it’s a big deal!  There’s more, too.  I can also use the packaging to tell Mamas that  they “can help boost breast milk supply”.

My response to the MDA/FDA is below.  Thank you all for your words of encouragement and for writing letters in support of Mama Nosh.  [I’ll post the letters, anonymously, in the comments of this post].

Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with information about Mama Nosh lactation cookies and for your time and attention.  I know you’re all extremely busy and appreciate you giving this matter the attention it deserves.

I want to be clear that I am not representing any other company who makes a lactation product. I am simply trying to bring awareness to the fact that these products do exist, do work to boost milk supply in many women and are in growing demand.

The testimonials below were sent to me about Mama Nosh lactation cookies and illustrate this point.

“I pumped 7oz (3 hrs since feeding)!! Way more than normal!!” – Megan, mother to a 3-month-old baby, sent via facbook private message

“I got 11.5oz on Monday (I almost cried I was so excited!) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” – Kendra, mother of a 5-month-old baby, sent via facebook private message

To clarify, [a specific question about fenugreek] Mama Nosh lactation cookies do not contain fenugreek. My cookies contain only natural food galactagogues that might typically be consumed anyway – steel cut oats, rolled oats, flax seed, quinoa, brewer’s yeast, coconut oil. These are all gluten-free, mostly organic and are natural foods. There are no herbal supplements or medicines in Mama Nosh lactation cookies. They are perfectly safe for any person to eat (with the exclusion of any person who may have allergies or otherwise should not eat these foods).

…

As a country and a community, we need to support breastfeeding and the women who are pursuing it. I have met many women who want to breastfeed their babies for 1 year (American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation) or even 2 years and beyond (World Health Organization recommendation), but are not able to for various reasons. Common reasons are a lack of sufficient supply due to returning to work and relying on pumping, medical complications, adoption, dietary issues or a variety of other reasons. In addition to the effect on breast milk supply, Mama Nosh cookies also provide nutritional benefits to nursing mothers. Mayo Clinic and the University of California both provide information about the needs of nursing mothers, which include:

-Intake of an additional 200-500 more calories per day – Mama Nosh cookies contain 220 calories each

-To get these extra calories, opt for nutrient-rich choices, such as a slice of whole-grain bread with a tablespoon (about 16 grams) of peanut butter… – Mama Nosh cookies are made with gluten-free whole grains

-Should eat 2-3 servings of protein per day – Mama Nosh cookies contain 4g of protein each

-Iron also is important for breastfeeding mothers. If you are 18 years of age or younger, you should get 10 milligrams of iron per day. For those over 19, the suggested daily intake is 9 milligrams. – Mama Nosh cookies contain 8% of the iron needs for a 2,000 calorie diet

The use of galactogogues by breastfeeding mothers to increase or initiate breast milk supply has been passed down as traditional wisdom for generations.  I understand there’s not a plethora of medical evidence to support how they work, but there’s no denying the multitudes of lactating women who have experienced increased milk supply as a direct result of eating lactation cookies that contain these galactogogues.  Since there are some women who experience oversupply issues, we would be doing a disservice to breastfeeding women by not informing them of the likely effects on their milk supply from consuming the galactogogues in lactation cookies.  I’ve gathered information from credentialed individuals, like Kelly Bonyata, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, who says,

“a frequently heard recommendation for increasing milk supply is eating a bowl of oatmeal each day…some moms say they see an increase in supply when they eat anything made with oats, including instant oatmeal and oatmeal cookies.”  

Hilary Jacobson, a certified holistic lactation consultant, states, “Herbs useful after birth include stinging nettle to rebuild the blood lost during birth, turmeric, to help prevent breast inflammation, oat-straw, to nurture the nerves and to help prevent nervous exhaustion. These herbs also increase milk supply, so keep an eye on your supply and reduce or increase your dosage of these herbs as necessary.”  In her book “Mother Food”, about lactogenic diets, she references many of the Mama Nosh cookie ingredients as lactogenic foods, including: quinoa (ancient whole grains), almonds, flaxseed, coconuts and nutritional (or brewer’s) yeast.

These are two of many certified and recognized experts who advise on the use of lactogenic foods.

…

To further demonstrate the demand for lactation cookies, I’ve attached emails… written to you specifically for the purpose of helping you understand their feelings, which echo those of many other women.

I’d like to address the importance of breastfeeding and impact it has on the health of mothers, babies and our country as a whole.  I understand that not everyone is as interested or informed on this subject as I am, so I’m sharing the information below to shed light on the importance of breastfeeding and how it applies here.

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Policy Statement Organizational Principals to Guide and Define the Child Health Care System and/or Improve the Health of All Children: Section on Breastfeeding states,

 “The AAP Section on Breastfeeding, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and many other health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life…

Obstacles to initiation and continuation of breast- feeding include insufficient prenatal education about breastfeeding; disruptive hospital policies and practices; inappropriate interruption of breast- feeding; early hospital discharge in some populations; lack of timely routine follow-up care and postpartum home health visits; maternal employment (especially in the absence of workplace facilities and support for breastfeeding); lack of family and broad societal support; media portrayal of bottle feeding as normative; commercial promotion of infant formula through distribution of hospital discharge packs, coupons for free or discounted formula, and some television and general magazine advertising; misinformation; and lack of guidance and encouragement from health care professionals.”

In the same statement, AAP advises those health care professionals to “…Encourage development and approval of govern- mental policies and legislation that are supportive of a mother’s choice to breastfeed.”

I believe the MDA and FDA, as the organizations who oversee regulation of food products intended to support breastfeeding, are directly included in this call to action to support the mother’s choice in breastfeeding.

In January 2011, the Surgeon General released The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding stating, “One of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed. However, in the U.S., while 75 percent of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months. Additionally, rates are significantly lower for African-American infants.”

I find the below section particularly relevant, as Mama Nosh will provide a support community to nursing mothers, by making lactation cookies which can help with milk supply issues and by helping to make breastfeeding a more public and accepted act through marketing and awareness efforts.

“Lactation Problems – Without good support, many women have problems with breastfeeding. Most of these are avoidable if identified and treated early, and need not pose a threat to continued breastfeeding.”

I realize this is a very long email, but this is a complex (and possibly unchartered) topic for the MDA/FDA.   Again, I sincerely appreciate your time, attention and openness throughout this process.  I look forward to hearing back from you.

Respectfully,

Emily Baynard

pb&j day

It’s national peanut butter & jelly day, which makes me want to do a peanutbutterjellytime dance.  PB&J sandwiches have always been a favorite, so I felt it was important to celebrate today.  For dinner, I made a gooey, crunchy, sticky and sweet pb&j&banana sandwich on gluten-free bread and washed it down with a glass of ice cold milk.

But, what I was extra excited about was my PB&J breakfast.  Ever since needing to increase my breast milk supply after going back to work, I eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning.  Oats are a well-known lactogenic food (galactogogue) and provide iron, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and give a fullness that busy breastfeeding Mamas need.  Whole oat groats are the least processed and most nutritious, steel cut oats are next best and then rolled oats.  The instant or quick oats have been steamed and processed and likely contain other ingredients you don’t want.  They’ve lost a lot of their nutritional value and usually taste gluey.

Plus, there’s something about a really hearty bowl of oats that I’ve made the night before and can enjoy in the morning – it’s like my cup of coffee (not in the wake-me-up way, but more the warm-me-up-with-a-big-ole-mug way).

It’s become such an important part of my day that I turned part of our kitchen nook into my oatmeal corner.  Then, everything I need is easily accessible so I can make my oatmeal the night before and even do it with one hand (baby in the other) if needed.  Why at night you ask?  Oat groats and steel cut oats need to be soaked before they can be eaten. (they verge on the crunchy side if not), so I let them hang out overnight.  Lots of people think steel cut oats are a pain, but they’re not!  I just put all my oatmeal ingredients in a bowl, cover them with water from the tap, put a lid on and they’re ready to be heated and eaten in the morning.

To make it even easier, I bought this durable green Corningware mug with a spill-proof lid.  It was less than $10 and well worth the investment.  In the morning, I throw it in my purse/diaper bag/suitcase and warm it up at work.  It’s so easy.

I can definitely tell a difference in my milk supply on the days that I do and don’t eat oatmeal.  Eating oatmeal means more milk to pump!

PB&J Oatmeal:

1/4 C oat groats

1/4 C thick rolled or steel cut oats

1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter (I like crunchy)

1 handful strawberries or raspberries

1 cup water

1/2 t vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup or coconut sap sugar optional

1 t ground flaxseed or chia seeds optional

Splash of milk (almond, soy, hemp, goat, cow, whichever you like)

Dump all the ingredients in a bowl 1 or 2 nights before.  Cover with a lid and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.  Add more water if needed and heat in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Then you’re ready for peanutbutterjellytime.

Happy noshing!

one last hurdle for Mama Nosh

As we speak, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the FDA are evaluating whether or not to give Mama Nosh a license to sell lactation cookies based on the validity of claims such as ‘lactation cookie’ and ‘can help boost breast milk supply’.  Since the nature of the cookies involves mothers and babies, it’s a sensitive area, as it should be.  Their concern is that the claims are not backed by scientific evidence and therefore can not be used on the packaging.  It’s true that the current research does not prove unequivocally that food galactogogues will increase milk supply (there’s more information about medicinal and herbal galactogogues than food).  What I do know is that almost every mama that’s tried lactation cookies, has reported an increase in her breast milk supply.  For years, women have been passing this knowledge on to eachother.  I think it would be doing a disservice to NOT label lactation cookies as such.  (To be clear, MDA/FDA are not concerned about the safety of the product, but rather about making claims about the performance of the cookies.  Mama Nosh has taken all other necessary steps to comply with safety/laws/guidelines.)

You and I know how important it is to support eachother and to have breastfeeding resources readily available.  As mothers become more connected, we hear about lots of lactation products in the marketplace (tinctures, teas, supplements, even cookies).  Since the FDA is involved, all of these products could potentially be affected.  I’m learning that breastfeeding/lactation is still new to many people, including the government agencies who are regulating these products.  I’m trying to educate them on what galactogogues are and how they work.  But, I need your help!!

I’m scouring books, the internet and contacts in the birth community to compile research and evidence.  Additionally, I’d like to demonstrate that there are many women who know that lactation products (specifically cookies) work, as well as making clear the demand and desire from the public to be able to purchase these products.  If you’d like to help, please take a couple minutes to write an email to the MN Dept of Agriculture.  They are managing this case and seem to be a reasonable people, so I’m confident that with your help we can educate and help them understand.

I’ll compile your letters along with my research and proposal for alternate wording.

Please send your email to me at mamanoshinfo (at) gmail (dot) com.  Keep in mind the two things they need to know:

a)  Lactation cookies have helped you/someone you know increase breast milk supply

b)  You think lactation cookies should be made available for purchase by the general public and that they should be labeled as such (with things like ‘lactation cookie’ and ‘with ingredients to boost breast milk supply’)

Thank you for your time, support and consideration.  This is time sensitive, so please send emails in the next day or so.  Your email will make a difference and help send a strong message!